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A 'Cheaper' iPhone: Absolutely Awful News for Apple

Written by: Rocco Pendola01/09/13 - 7:26 AM EST

Tickers in this article:
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NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Supersize smartphones, tablets and televisions sets -- that's the innovation coming out of this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) . Other than automotive technology from companies such as Ford (F) and Verizon (VZ) , Vegas has little for the mass market outside of larger screens.

I don't know what to say. It's so absurd I'm not certain if I should laugh or cry.

Back in the day -- you know, last year, the year before -- Apple (AAPL) captured our attention in the time just before, during and/or after CES. Everybody waited to hear what Apple would do next. While that mood still exists, it's not quite the same.

So, Apple revolutionizes multiple spaces with iPod, iPhone and iPad. The lowest-end Mac proceeds to outclass upper-echelon PCs. Now, with true innovation standing slightly still at Apple, other companies have the opportunity to pounce. What do they do? Absolutely nothing. That's awful news.

And then there are the rumors -- we're reportedly going to see a new iPhone sooner rather than later, but in different colors and sizes. And then there's Tuesday's WSJ report that Apple will produce a "cheaper" (though some say "less expensive") iPhone at some point in 2013.

Freak out a little. It's OK. Because, ultimately -- if the details of the rumor are true -- this is absolutely awful news for Apple. However, consider two important points:

1. The details of the rumor might not be true. We have been through this before with iPad mini. Most people expected it to cost less than it does. Some even predicted it would be of lower quality than a traditional iPad.

Not so. As some hack predicted on CNBC (!), it's a high-quality, premium-priced device and it's selling well. Other than screen size and display quality, there's no telling one iPad from the other. Big win for Apple.

2. If the rumor plays out as the WSJ projects, this is not good long-term news, but that doesn't matter in the near term.

Apple will sell millions of units. It will chew up and spit out the low-end smartphone category and increase market share in a major way. As such, Apple's six-to-24-month outlook looks pretty good as long as the competition stays CES, Google and Microsoft weak.